Marrickville creative precinct able to proceed after Development Control Plan adopted

29 August 2019

Inner West Council last night finalised and adopted the Victoria Road Precinct Development Control Plan, enabling the development application for the Rich Street Creative Precinct to proceed to assessment by Council.

Ongoing delays in adoption of the Development Control Plan (DCP) had resulted in the proponent being advised by Council officers to withdraw the DA, on the basis that it could not be adopted without a DCP in place.

The rezoning of the Victoria Road precinct for mixed-use industrial and residential development has previously been finalised by Marrickville Council as well as the Inner West Council Administrator Richard Pearson and was gazetted by the NSW State Government in December 2017.

Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne said that he had had no role in the rezoning of the Victoria Road precinct.

“I respect that there are sections of the community who both oppose and support the rezoning,” said Byrne.

“With the state government having imposed that rezoning last year, the finalisation of the DCP was a simple procedural and technical matter.

“The fact that the DCP had been delayed for many months has meant that the proposed arts and creative precinct at Rich Street had come under threat.

“This determination means that the exciting Rich St creative precinct can now proceed to assessment instead of being lost to the inner west.

“As Mayor I strongly support the need for private investment in the arts and creative industries.

“That’s what is needed to make us the independent arts and cultural capital of Australia.

“I recently convened a meeting with the Department of Planning, the applicant for the Rich Street proposal and council officers.

“Under Council’s existing voluntary contributions plan, Council will acquire up to $1.6million in funds if the DA is approved.

“If Council finalises a new developer contributions plan before the Rich Street DA is determined, we can ensure that there is no risk or financial liability to Council.”

The Rich Street proposal would provide approximately 460 jobs in arts and cultural industries and start-ups, 7,200 square meters of new public open space and an improved tree canopy with 50 new trees.